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March 2010 - Health Care Reform Improves Access to Osteoporosis Testing
On behalf of 44 million Americans, 10 million of whom have osteoporosis and another 34 million who have low bone mass which put them at risk for the disease, the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) is proud to announce that the US Congress and the President have temporarily remedied a major problem for osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment.
By Congress passing and the President signing the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” HR 3590, Americans now can continue to have access to Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA testing), the imaging procedure accepted as the gold standard for preventing, diagnosing and treating osteoporosis. HR 3590 mandates Medicare to reinstate the rate of reimbursement for this test to not less than 70 percent of 2006 rates and would provide for a study and report by the Institute of Medicine on this issue.
NOF’s President Robert Recker, MD, said, ”We appreciate the support of our congressional champions, particularly Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR) and Representative Shelley Berkley (NV-1st), who recognize the public’s need for continued access to appropriate healthcare for osteoporosis. Along with them, for more than three years, NOF, its advocates and other interested groups battled to reverse Medicare cuts to DXA reimbursement. These cuts made it difficult for physicians to continue to offer bone density testing in their offices, jeopardizing patient access to osteoporosis care.”
We thank everyone who communicated with their Members of Congress to make their views known on this issue. Because of you, we have achieved a victory for the improved bone health of all Americans.
The latest
The National Osteoporosis Foundation has named Barbara Hannah Grufferman as its first Bone Health Ambassador. In this newly-established role, Grufferman, a well-known advocate for healthy and positive living, will dedicate her time, talent and energy to raise awareness for osteoporosis and the importance of building strong bones for life.
Thanks to a generous gift from The Samuel J. & Ethel LeFrak Charitable Trust, the National Osteoporosis Foundation met its Generations of Strength fundraising goal one year early. NOF launched the Generations of Strength initiative in September 2011 with the goal of raising $2 million in two years to improve patient care for the most vulnerable – those who have broken bones due to osteoporosis – and to protect future generations from the disease.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), the nation’s leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, has named Claire Gill as its Senior Director of Marketing, Consumer and Corporate Outreach. Gill brings extensive experience in public relations and marketing communications to this newly-established role.
